Arts organisations urged to apply for new funding grants

Arts organisations and individuals operating in the Lancaster district are being urged to apply for new funding from Arts Council England.

A total of £160 million is being made available to help ensure the people and organisations that make up our arts, museums and libraries are protected through the coronavirus crisis.

Councillor Dr Erica Lewis, leader of Lancaster City Council, said: "These are very tough times for many local organisations and individuals and the arts sector is no different. We have a fantastic reputation for culture and the arts across the district and we know that many of those who have contributed to this have been hit particularly hard, so we welcome this new funding from Arts Council England. I would urge anyone who thinks they may be eligible to apply for these funds to help them get through this extremely difficult period."

A total funding pot of £90 million is being made available for National Portfolio Organisations (NPOs), £50 million for organisations outside of the national portfolio, and £20 million for creative practitioners and cultural workers.

Organisations in the cultural sector, who are not NPOs or Music Education Hubs, will be able to apply for a maximum of £35,000. Creative practitioners whose work is focused on either music, theatre, dance, visual arts, literature, combined arts, museums practice or libraries, will be eligible to apply for up to £2,500.

Details of the maximum grants available for NPOs is expected to follow later and they will be written to with the details.

There are two rounds of funding, the first opening on April 9, with a deadline on April 16, and the second opening on April 16 with a deadline of April 30. It is only possible to apply for one of these rounds.

Full details on the funding and the application process can be found at www.artscouncil.org.uk.

 

Last updated: 07 April 2020